The 10 terms that every yoga enthusiast should know

Feel good, Generelt | 22. January 2018

Prana? Chakra? Asana? – What does that mean and what does it have to do with my yoga practice? If you also ask this question, we have a little help for you.

Anyone who has ever attended a yoga class or looked for information about this topic on the Internet knows that yoga is full of words that are not commonplace in our language.

We asked our experts and put together a list of the top 10 terms that you will come across again and again in your yoga practice. With our little yoga dictionary, you will be perfectly prepared for your next yoga session – whether at the yoga studio or on YouTube.

We think it’s important to not just view yoga as a physical exercise but always also consider the spiritual aspect. So we understand yoga as the connection between the body, mind and soul.

We hope you enjoy reading this!

Yoga includes all of the techniques with which we can experience ourselves in our true essence. There are physical and mental exercises.

Sat Nam is a mantra that comes from Kundalini Yoga. It can be translated as “my true self.”

Namaste is a salutation; the translation is something like “I greet the light in you.”

Kundalini is a term that describes the hidden “slumbering” (divine) energy in human beings. This is why Kundalini Yoga is also called the “Yoga of Consciousness,” which consists of dynamic basic poses that are combined with specific breath exercises and mantras.

Asana describes a physical posture in which we can have a spiritual experience. If you would like to learn more about this, please see our Yoga Poses.

A mantra is a sound composition that connects our mind with aspects of our higher self when we repeatedly say it rhythmically or sing it.

Guru describes what leads us from the darkness (Gu) to the light (Ru).

In the context of Kundalini Yoga, prana stands for the divine breath of life. All exercises of Kundalini Yoga are aimed at increasing our prana and its subtlety.

Om is a syllable that everyone certainly knows. But what does it actually mean? The phrase “Om” represents the unspeakable sound stream of infinity.

Subtle energy centres in human beings are individually called a chakra (or chakras in the plural form). The seven chakras form what are believed to be the main energy centres, which are all located along the central axis of the human body and connected with each other.

Do you know other yogic terms or have you always wanted to find out what a word in yoga means? Please write us on Facebook!